NEW DORM, NEW PROGRAMS HIGHLIGHT NEW YEAR AT UM

Aug 10th, 2004

MOBILE, Ala. - When University of Mobile students arrive on campus Aug. 21, they will start a new academic year with an emphasis on "new." A new residence hall and new programs are highlights as the 2004-05 academic year begins.

Classes start Aug. 25 for approximately 1,900 undergraduate and graduate students. Late registration is Aug. 23-24. Ram Rush back-to-school activities begin Saturday, Aug. 21, when residence halls open. One of the first buildings students will see when they arrive on campus is Yetta and Mary Samford Hall, the new 101-bed home-away-from-home for freshmen. The $3.3 million residence hall was designed with student input and features a lounge, study room, media room, and free laundry facilities.

A highlight of Ram Rush is a concert on Aug. 29 featuring Dove Award nominee Big Daddy Weave. Band members include former UM students Mike Weaver, Joe Shirk, Jeremy Redmon and Jeff Jones. The event is hosted by the University of Mobile and Christ United Methodist Church and will be held at the Christ Center at the church. Doors open at 5 p.m., the concert begins at 6 p.m. The concert is open to the public and a $5 donation will be collected at the door for the general public. Tickets are required and may be obtained through Christ UMC for the public and through the university's Student Life office for UM students.

New programs and changes include:

• Project Serve: The freshman class will volunteer throughout Mobile County on Monday, Aug. 23. The event will allow students to get to know each other while serving their community. They will work with Mobile Community Action to assist people through yard work, construction projects, painting, cleaning, visiting the elderly, reading to children, and more.



• Honors Program: UM's first academic honors program is open to all majors and includes a four-course cycle of seminars on western thought and culture.



• JV Soccer: Approximately 60 students will participate in the new junior varsity men's and women's soccer program.



• Ram Corps: The new percussion and brass ensemble in the Center for Performing Arts combines high-impact performance of a variety of music styles with choreographed movement.



• School of Christian Studies: This new name for the School of Religion reflects the school's focus on studying and promoting Christian evangelical church ministries from a biblical and Southern Baptist perspective.



• CAAHEP Accreditation: UM's athletic training education program received accreditation this summer by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, a top distinction in the field of athletic training education.



• Artist-in-Residence: International recording artist Alicia Williamson Garcia has joined the Center for Performing Arts as artist-in-residence. She will teach courses, lead a Bible study, and direct Impact, a traveling student ensemble.

For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call the Office of Admissions at (800) 946-7267 or (251) 442-2273.